Bibliographic References

The references below bring together the original bibliography for our baleen whale and toothed whale and dolphin guides, sources cited in individual species profiles, and further reading on Madeira's cetaceans. Short notes explain where each source is most useful.

Field guides and identification

Carwardine, M. (1995). Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. Illustrated by M. Camm. Dorling Kindersley, London.

An original reference for the species guide, covering recognition at sea, body shape, markings and behaviour. Book record.

Shirihai, H., & Jarrett, B. (2006). Whales, Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World. A & C Black, London.

An illustrated reference for identification, distribution and comparisons between similar species. The publisher's page describes a later reissue of this guide.

Madeira records and research

Correia-Fagundes, C., & Romano, H. (2013). Observation of a birth of a Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus at Madeira (NE Atlantic). Bocagiana, 236, 1–3. Read the paper (PDF).

A first-hand account of a sperm whale birth observed southeast of Machico on 2 August 2013.

Dinis, A., Alves, F., Nicolau, C., Ribeiro, C., Kaufmann, M., Cañadas, A., & Freitas, L. (2016). Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus group dynamics, site fidelity, residency and movement patterns in the Madeira Archipelago (North-East Atlantic). African Journal of Marine Science, 38(2), 151–160. DOI: 10.2989/1814232X.2016.1167780.

Further reading on bottlenose dolphins, examining how individuals use and return to Madeiran waters. An open copy is available from the University of Madeira.

Esteban, R., Verborgh, P., & Freitas, L. (2022). Dynamics of short-finned pilot whales long-term social structure in Madeira. Mammalian Biology, 102, 1315–1332. DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00280-0.

Further reading on the social relationships of resident short-finned pilot whales, based on photo-identification records spanning 1997–2019.

Freitas, L., Dinis, A., Nicolau, C., Ribeiro, C., & Alves, F. (2012). New records of cetacean species for Madeira Archipelago with an updated checklist. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal, 62(334), 25–43. Repository record and PDF.

A key reference for historical occurrence around Madeira, including strandings and rare sightings. It distinguishes confirmed records from unconfirmed observations; the checklist describes the evidence available at publication.

For additional regional studies, browse the Madeira Whale Museum's scientific publications.

Sowerby's beaked whale: biology and diet

These references are cited in our Sowerby's beaked whale profile. The diet study concerns the Azores, while the status report concerns Canada; both provide wider North Atlantic context.

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). (2019). COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Sowerby's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon bidens in Canada. COSEWIC, Ottawa, xi + 41 pp. Read the report.

A detailed account of identification, size, distribution, biology and threats. Its Canadian conservation assessment has a different geographic scope from the global IUCN assessment.

Pereira, J. N., Neves, V. C., Prieto, R., Silva, M. A., Cascão, I., Oliveira, C., Cruz, M. J., Medeiros, J. V., Barreiros, J. P., Porteiro, F. M., & Clarke, D. (2011). Diet of mid-Atlantic Sowerby's beaked whales Mesoplondon bidens. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 58(11), 1084–1090. DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2011.08.004.

An analysis of stomach contents from animals stranded in the Azores, supporting the profile's account of a predominantly fish-based diet. The title retains the published spelling “Mesoplondon”; the genus is Mesoplodon.

Online species, taxonomy and conservation resources

NOAA Fisheries. Marine mammal species directory.

Species accounts covering identification, distribution, diet, behaviour and threats. The Sowerby's beaked whale account is cited in our profile. NOAA's legal protection categories refer to United States legislation and should not be read as global IUCN categories.

Society for Marine Mammalogy, Committee on Taxonomy. List of Marine Mammal Species and Subspecies.

A reference for accepted scientific names and taxonomic revisions. Useful when comparing older field guides with more recent research.

IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group. Red List Status of Cetaceans.

A regularly updated overview with links to IUCN Red List assessments. Check the assessment date and whether an entry covers a whole species, a subspecies or a regional population.

IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group. (2020). 22 Updated Cetacean Red List Assessments Published in December 2020.

Documents the reassessment of several beaked whales, including Sowerby's beaked whale from Data Deficient to Least Concern, as cited in our species profile.

Online resources consulted on 28 September 2026.

Reading the species guides alongside these sources

Books and papers reflect the knowledge and taxonomy available when they were published. Each species profile now links its global IUCN assessment and shows its publication year alongside a separate editorial review date. Assessment amendments are identified explicitly. Consult the linked IUCN resource for later changes. Global extinction risk and the frequency of sightings around Madeira describe different things.

Historical records, strandings and the months listed in species profiles should not be treated as guarantees of a sighting. Our trip reports document individual outings and provide more recent local observations; they are not systematic estimates of population size or abundance.